The following information was provided by Supervisor Candace Andersen in her weekly newsletter highlighting there are 21 probable cases of monkeypox in Contra Costa County.
The number of confirmed and probable monkeypox cases is growing in Contra Costa County (21 as of yesterday), but the current risk of getting monkeypox outside of groups the virus has primarily affected remains very low.
In the U.S., high-risk groups are people with intimate or sexual contact with infected individuals. To date, the largest number of cases have been in groups of men having sex with men (MSM). Contra Costa Health is doing proactive outreach to these communities in our county.
Contra Costa Health (CCH) has held several vaccination clinics in the past week but has not received enough vaccine from the state to meet demand.
Vaccination is prioritized for people who had close contact with confirmed cases, or people in the MSM community with specific factors that put them increased likelihood of skin-to-skin, intimate contact with a current monkeypox case.
Other local jurisdictions face a similar shortage. Today, San Francisco declared a local public health emergency because of it.
Contra Costa residents can request an appointment at a future vaccination clinic by filling out a new online form located on cchealth.org/monkeypox.
While the virus is primarily spreading in the MSM community it can infect anyone, as evidenced by two pediatric cases in the U.S. acquired through household exposure.
Monkeypox symptoms usually start within 2 weeks of exposure. Initial symptoms are like flu (fever, headache, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes), followed by a rash and sores that can look like herpes sores.
Per Contra Costa Health Services Website
Contra Costa Health Services, along with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and other agencies, are monitoring a growing outbreak of monkeypox cases in the United States and California. Visit the CDPH monkeypox tracking page for the latest information about confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox in the county.
While it is good to stay alert about any emerging public health outbreaks, the current risk of getting monkeypox in the general public is very low, outside of certain activities that increase the chance of exposure.
Contra Costa County First Case of Monkeypox
On July 12, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors received a briefing on Monkeypox in Contra Costa County who now have a single case. According to Dr. Sofe Mekuria, she confirmed during the meeting that Contra Costa County has a single case which can cause a serious illness while people can catch it from close contact, but most people are not at high risk at this time. — Full Story
State Data
Data as of July 28, 2022
Statewide Cases |
---|
786 |
By Local Health Jurisdiction | Cases |
---|---|
Los Angeles | 261 |
San Francisco | 257 |
Alameda | 50 |
Santa Clara | 41 |
Sacramento | 34 |
San Diego | 26 |
Contra Costa | 18 |
Riverside | 17 |
Long Beach | 12 |
San Mateo | 11 |
Berkeley | 8 |
Sonoma | 8 |
Orange | 6 |
Solano | 6 |
Kern | 5 |
Santa Cruz | 5 |
Monterey | 4 |
San Joaquin | 4 |
Fresno | 2 |
Marin | 2 |
San Bernardino | 2 |
Ventura | 2 |
Butte | 1 |
Napa | 1 |
Placer | 1 |
Stanislaus | 1 |
Tulare | 1 |